1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector which holds inserted terminals using a retainer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known connector which holds inserted terminals using a retainer is shown in FIG. 26. This connector holds a terminal 2 in its proper insertion position by doubly locking it as follows. Primary locking is effected by fitting a projection 1A of an elastic lock piece 1 provided in a connector housing into a lock hole 2A of the terminal 2 and engaging it with the edge of the lock hole 2A. Secondary locking is effected by inserting a retainer 4 into a deformation permitting space 3 so as to prevent the displacement of the elastic lock piece 1 in such a direction to be disengaged from the terminal 2.
In this connector, when the terminal 2 is insufficiently inserted, the lower surface thereof comes into contact with the projection 1A, thereby pressing the elastic lock piece 1 down into the deformation permitting space 3. Thus, the retainer 4 cannot enter the deformation permitting space 3 due to contact of the retainer 4 with the downwardly deflected elastic lock piece 1. As a result, insufficient insertion of the terminal 2 can be detected.
In the above connector, the larger an engaging surface of the projection 1A with the lock hole 2A, i.e. the taller the projection 1A, the better a primary locking function by the elastic lock piece 1. However, in the case that a tongue 2B is provided immediately above the elastic lock piece 1 as shown in FIG. 26, the height of the projection 1A may be restricted by the tongue 2B. In such a case, the reliability of the primary locking function by the elastic lock piece 1 cannot be improved.
A known connector free from the above problem is shown in FIG. 27. In this connector, an elastic lock piece 5A having one end fixed and the other end hanging is formed by making a cut in a terminal 5 and bending this cut portion obliquely upward, and a connector housing 6 is formed with a projection 6A which can be locked with the elastic lock piece 5A. When the terminal 5 is inserted, the elastic lock piece 5A passes the projection 6A while undergoing an elastic deformation. When the terminal 5 is properly inserted, the elastic lock portion 5A is elastically restored to its original position to be locked with the projection 6A. Thus, the terminal 5 can be held in its proper insertion position. Since there is no strict restriction in increasing the projecting amount of the elastic lock piece 5A, the reliability of the primary locking function by the elastic lock piece 5A can be improved.
However, with this connector, it is difficult, due to a constructional reason, to secondarily lock the elastic lock piece 5A using a retainer. Therefore, the terminal 5 cannot be doubly locked using the retainer. Nor can the presence of the insufficiently inserted terminal 5 be detected.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problems and an object thereof is to provide a connector having an improved locking function.